Looking for Teen Angst and Despair? Welcome to the 80s.

The complete playlist featured in this piece is available on Spotify and can be found here. Feel free to listen as you read along.

As a teenager, I stumbled headfirst into the 80s. Like all Gen Xers out there, I wallowed in despair, believing life was not good, it merely didn’t suck.

The 80s was a decade of turmoil and inequity. Divorce was on the rise. We were in the middle of one of the worst recessions since WWII. AIDs had reared its ugly head and the Central Park Five--a group of teenage black and Hispanic boys, was accused and incarcerated for a crime they never committed.

The world was changing—and not necessarily for the better. Music only amplified these shifts. It kept us sane. And it gave my generation a voice.

Thanks to MTV, we had music delivered right into our living rooms. We were exposed to new genres, songs, and styles. I loved all this music. With one exception. I could never bring myself to listen to the happy-clappy tunes of 80s superstars like Madonna, Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson. Their hits were too upbeat and aspirational.

I craved music with a deeper message served with a twist of angst. And if you are looking for a little angst in your life and a great blast from the past, then this playlist is for you.

Family Angst: There is a Light That Never Goes Out, The Smiths

I always loved James Dean growing up and apparently, so did the Smiths lead singer, Morrissey. Dean’s movie, “Rebel Without a Cause” was a rallying cry for my generation, even though it was filmed 13 years before I was born. Tragically, Dean died in a car crash.

I mention this because the Smiths tune also alludes to a car crash. The protagonist is misunderstood at home and doesn’t want to go back. He doesn’t feel like he belongs there anymore. He tells the person in the car with him that he would be happy to die in a car crash. He says, “Dying would be a privilege.”

It’s dark. It’s depressing. Yet it spoke to me. Because the angst that Morrissey eschewed about his home life, was something I could relate to. My parent’s divorce had created a big chasm in my life. We moved a lot. I felt like I had a house but not a home. This song echoed my desire to escape from the adversity I found all around me.

Societal Angst: It’s the End of the World as We Know It, (And I Feel Fine), REM

No 80s experience is complete without this classic song from REM which is based loosely on Michael Stipe's stream of consciousness about the end of the world. Despite its apocalyptic message, the song itself is upbeat and infectious.

Stipes tells everyone to serve themselves and save themselves because the world serves its own needs.

This song is a rant cloaked in a catchy tune that goes after religion, overreaching governments, the media, censorship, and patriotism.

But despite his barrage of doom and gloom, Stipes also reminds us we are going to be okay.

I was in my first year of college when I heard this song. It felt fast and furious and mirrored the chaos I saw all around. It was also a great song to dance to. It still is.

Friend Angst: Don’t You Forget About Me, Simple Minds

It’s hard to listen to this song and not think about the cult classic movie, "The Breakfast Club." I was Ally Sheedy. I dressed like her with baggy sweaters and long flowing skirts. And like Ally, I often felt like I didn’t quite fit in.

Despite this, I met a fantastic group of friends in high school. The guys all worshipped the Grateful Dead. The girls listened to a little bit of everything. We would often find cassette tapes on sale in music stores for $3.99. This is how we discovered older bands like the Steve Miller Band and CCR. Music was always a staple in our lives. But after four years together, we were all getting ready to head to college.

This song captured my angst about moving away and losing touch. I wanted to maintain these relationships but deep down, I knew the distance and our time apart would likely take its toll.

Nuclear Angst: Games Without Frontiers, Peter Gabriel

This song which contrasts the games children play with the antics of world leaders making life and death decisions on the world’s behalf, is a stark reminder of just how dangerous nationalism and territorialism can be.

The song hit the charts in the early 80s, at a time where the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT) between the United States and the Soviet Union had broken down. Nuclear Armageddon was on everyone’s minds. Reagan had just taken office and would go on to stockpile a massive arsenal of weapons.

As a Canadian, I always hoped the bombs pointed at America didn’t veer in our direction. But unfortunately I knew if America was a goner in this war without tears, then we were too.

Youth Angst: Forever Young, Alphaville

During the 80s, we were always hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. It was the height of the Cold War, and we lived with the fear that one false move might put an end to all of our lives. This song is a cry for the youth of the day to live their lives to the fullest. It is about savoring the moment.

Ironically, this song gave me hope. It’s the song I listened to at sleepovers with good friends as we played euchre into the wee hours of the night. And it's a song that made me want to carpe diem my way through life.

Racial Injustice Angst: Scatterlings of Africa, Juluka

In the 80s, Nelson Mandela was still being held in Pollsmoor Prison. Steven Biko, the father of black consciousness and the anti-apartheid movement, had been killed. He had died in the late 70s from a brain hemorrhage as a result of injuries he sustained while in police custody.

In 1987, the film Biko came out. The anti-apartheid movement was gaining momentum. The world was watching. I was watching. Having grown up overseas, I could not understand racism. I found it abhorrent. I wanted Mandela to be released and apartheid to end.

Quite coincidentally, I stumbled upon Johnny Clegg and Juluka. Clegg was a big human rights and anti-apartheid activist from South Africa. He was also unique in that he was the only white man in South Africa during this time to front a black band.

The band used a combination of Zulu and English in their lyrics. Their songs were upbeat and soulful but always carried a much deeper message.

Scatterlings is a shout-out to all the displaced people in Africa who were forced to relocate as a result of colonialism.

As a teen, I went to see Johnny Clegg and Juluka and later Savuka several times. They never disappointed. This band was always about more than the music. But the music was also pretty damn good.

Life Angst: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, U2

In 1983 I saw U2 for the first time at Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario. Bono pulled a random member of the audience onto the stage to play guitar. He pulled off a brilliant performance. Later that night, we all streamed out of the tiny stadium singing, “How long, to sing this song.” It was a magical moment and I became a lifelong fan.

Four years later, they released Joshua Tree featuring “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” It’s a rock and gospel-infused tune that talks about the elusive quest to find higher meaning in life.

I’m not sure anyone truly knows what they want to do with their lives when they are teenagers. I certainly didn’t. But I was determined to try to figure this out. This song is a tribute to all the restless souls like me out there.

Wealth and Capitalism Angst: Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads

You may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful car. And you may ask yourself, “How did I get here?”

"Once in a Lifetime" is a fantastic look at how we live our lives. We accumulate stuff. But we aren’t truly satisfied. We aren’t truly living; we are merely passing time.

I think this is what happened to my parents. They had their nice house and their nice car. And then they found themselves asking, “What the hell have I done and how did I get here?”

The rest is history. They split and both started over. They were no longer on autopilot.

This song was a wake-up call for me. I didn’t want to stumble through my 20s and 30s only to find myself in a life that I wasn’t happy with. I wanted to live my life with purpose.

It’s a frenetic, harried, and often repetitive tune. But its message is both powerful and unforgettable. And it is definitely one of my favorites.

Love Angst: Red, Red Wine, UB40

Everyone needs to drown their sorrows, particularly when it comes to love lost. Drinking the blues away is one way to do it.

"Red, Red Wine" was originally written by Neil Diamond and was penned as a sorrow-filled ballad. But UB40 infused a reggae beat into the music and re-released it in the 80s. They also transformed it into a truly dance-worthy tune.

I went to see UB40 in concert a number of times during the 80s. I danced, drank (yes I was underage), and forgot about the world around me. And this was the escape I needed, given the world around me was a bit of a mess.

Health Angst: Halloween Parade, Lou Reed

It's hard to talk about the 80s, without mentioning AIDs. HIV or AIDs swept across Canada and the United States with a vengeance. It was known as the “gay disease” but as time wore on, people became increasingly aware that AIDs could also be transmitted through needles, heterosexual sex, and blood transfusions.

There was a lot of apprehension about AIDs in the 80s. It changed how we thought about sex. And it changed how society viewed the LGBTQ community.

I grew up in Toronto and there was a sizable LGBTQ community in the city. Back then it was not easy to come out. AIDs set the LGBTQ community back even further. People thought they could get AIDs by shaking someone’s hand. It was a low point. And family friends were dying.

Lou Reed has always been a favorite of mine. You couldn’t grow up in the 80s and not listen to “Walk on the Wild Side." But Lou Reed's "Halloween Parade" is also worth a listen. It is a great tribute to the Greenwich City Parade. And while Reed never mentions AIDs directly, it is clear what this song is about as he laments all those lost to the disease.

In the End

The 80s shaped my generation. And the music of the 80s gave us a voice. It echoed the helplessness, despair, and angst that many of us were feeling as teens during this time.

This playlist provides a small window into some of the songs that influenced my life. I wish I could have added more, but then we would be getting into book territory. 80s music spans the gamut. I’ve touched on a few of the genres here. But there are many more.

So, take a listen, kick back and enjoy. Wallow in a little angst and despair. And if you find you like it, you may just be Gen X material after all.

Thanks for reading.